The road that led Airdrie RCMP acting Inspector Gordon Sage to this city has been a long one, spanning 24 years and 5,000 km.

Sage, 47, hails from Kamloops, British Columbia, but trekked all the way out to Saint George, New Brunswick when he got his start with the RCMP 24 years ago.

After spending two years in Saint George, he began his way back west, where he worked in Ottawa, spending two years with the Emergency Response Team. Following his stint in the nation’s capital, Sage landed in Grande Cache, Alberta in 1993 and he has been in the province since.

“Alberta is home for me now,” said Sage. “I have two kids here that are going in to university and I really enjoy being here.”

After five years in Grande Cache, Sage moved on to the Cochrane detachment where he stayed for just more than a year before moving north to Fort McMurray.

Sage was promoted to corporal while in Fort McMurray, where he spent time working in the General Investigation Unit. He credits his seven years spent in the province’s north for his ability to take on the responsibility of overseeing Airdrie RCMP’s day–to-day operation.

“From 2001 to 2008, Fort McMurray was in a very similar position as Airdrie is now,” said Sage. “There was a lot of growth happening in that time period and to an extent it almost feels like déjà vu coming to Airdrie; growth is a big challenge, but I do have experience with it.”

Sage has risen through the RCMP ranks to where he now oversees a detachment of 41 city officers and 11 rural officers; he has a wealth of experience in a myriad of aspects of policing that he says have provided him the tools to take on many challenges.

After seven years in Fort McMurray, Sage went on to work with the Instant Response Unit in Calgary for a year, before moving to the Border Integrity Unit in Federal Policing.

“My work with border integrity really taught me a lot about how to cooperate with other police units because we worked a lot with police from the United States,” said Sage.

“Because of Airdrie’s proximity to Calgary, we do have to work with the Calgary Police Service and collaborate on certain things. You learn to check your ego at the door and realize that we all want the same thing and we’re better off integrating and combining our resources.”

Sage arrived in Airdrie in September 2013 and he has been impressed with the local detachment and the City’s dedication to policing.

“The support from the City is phenomenal, they’re very pro-police,” said Sage. “There are communities where they just want to put Band-Aids on issues or they just throw more officers out there, but here in Airdrie there is a real dedication to solving the issues. The City does a great job of providing avenues for their citizens to have their issues heard and I think Airdrie is leading the pack on that.”

Airdrie Mayor Peter Brown spoke highly of Sage and his dedication, while making note of the importance of a strong working relationship between City staff and the RCMP.

“Gordon comes with a variety of experience that is adaptable to Airdrie and his skill set is very applicable to our community,” said Brown. “He’s committed to this city and he wants to do a lot of great things here. Our relationship with the RCMP is very strong and I think you can see that through our investment in things like their new building; having an open line with our local police is imperative.”

Sage said he sees coming to Airdrie as another chapter in his “adventure.”

“I’ve always seen policing as an adventure, there are always new challenges to take on,” said Sage.

“That’s part of the reason that I’ve moved around as I have; it takes about five years to really master something and then you move on to take on the next challenge.”

Sage has been constantly working to better himself, in order to better his surroundings. He has been taking Human Resource classes at the University of Calgary to help him stay current with today’s work force.

Sage added he is enjoying life in Airdrie and he hopes to stay in the community for as long as he can.

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